Interview with Sabek

You know straight away when you see a piece by Sabek; his distinct style, the block colours and generally the animal subject matter.

The piece below was one of our most liked images of August, so we thought we’d get in touch with Sabek to find out more about his background, his inspiration and his artwork.

Enjoy!

Where are you from and when did you start painting?

I’m from Madrid, Spain, and I start to paint around 15 years ago.

Why do you paint?

Because I need it, I can not imagine my life without painting!

What made you choose the style you paint?

It chose me! It’s something that was happening over time, the theme I choose to paint and the practice of doing it, drove me to my actual style.

How do you choose the subject matter of your pieces?

Animals turn out to be the driving force of my work, in which fierce and entrenched values reflect on the places that we have relegated them as mere resources for food or recreation, denouncing the need for human beings to control and tame the wild to dispossess the animals in their essence.

What techniques do you use to create your work?

Mixed media of spray can and wall paint.

Who and/or what influences your work?

All our environment, the people what I have around, animals, the relationship between human and animal behaviour.

What’s the public perception of your work?

Mostly the people who pass by the walls I’m painting are happy with my paintings, they shout things like ¨love it” ¨thank you to make our city more beautiful, but of course, some of them are not really into art or culture, or just don’t like the colours or characters I’m painting and they complain.

In something like public art is difficult to make everyone happy, actually what we do sometimes is difficult to understand, traveling around the world making our work (with the best wishes) to everyone who is living there, but most of the times is small time to understand the local culture, and there could be some misunderstandings.

But in the end like the 95% of my experiences were completely positives, meeting amazing local people which gives you a good feedback and lend you a helping hand in all aspects.

What challenges do you face when painting?

Rain, problems with the lift, bad coordination, there’s always something that goes wrong but everything has a a solution! The most challenging aspect is not having a lot of time to make the piece. Painting really big facades in just 6/7 days, sometimes you need to be very focused and active even if everything what I mentioned is working well.

Which has been your favourite piece to paint?

It’s difficult for me to choose, I was really comfortable in many places with great people which makes it a formidable experience.

What has been the highlight of your career so far?

I was on a road trip in the USA, working on severals projects. It was a month and a half painting almost everyday, it was really challenging and exhausted but in the end, when I realised everything what was done, it gave me an idea of what I was capable of.

Do you have any projects coming up?

Yes some, I will be traveling to Buenos Aires for Color BA and then Washington D.C for a commission project. And some more projects coming up.

Many thanks to Sabek for speaking to us! Find more of his work on Global Street Art or on Instagram.